Sidekicking & Exemplaring

Sidekicking and Exemplaring are two crucial mechanics in City of Heroes that allow players of different levels to play together effectively. Whether you're a high-level hero helping a new recruit or a lower-level hero joining a veteran team, understanding these systems is key to a smooth and enjoyable experience.

What is Sidekicking?

Sidekicking allows a higher-level player to temporarily reduce their effective level to match that of a lower-level player. This ensures that the lower-level player still gains meaningful experience and participates fully in combat, rather than being carried by an overpowered teammate.

How to Sidekick:

Target the Lower-Level Player: Click on the character you wish to Sidekick to.
Open the Context Menu: Right-click on their character portrait or their character in the game world.
Select "Sidekick To": From the context menu, choose the option "Sidekick To [Player Name]".
Confirm the Action: A confirmation window will appear. Click "Yes" to initiate Sidekicking.

Once Sidekicking is active, your effective level will be reduced to within one level of your target. For example, if you are a Level 50 hero and Sidekick to a Level 10 hero, your effective level will become Level 11. Your power damage, health, and endurance will be scaled down accordingly. You will still retain all your learned powers and enhancements, but their effectiveness will be capped at your scaled level.

Benefits of Sidekicking:

Faster Leveling for Lowbies: Lower-level players gain significantly more experience when grouped with a Sidekicked high-level player, as the content remains challenging and rewarding.
Mentorship and Guidance: High-level You can easily guide new players through early content, teach them game mechanics, and help them complete difficult missions.
Access to High-Level Powers: Even though scaled, Sidekicked You can still utilize their full power sets, offering unique utility and strategies to the team.
Enhanced Team Synergy: Sidekicking promotes diverse team compositions and allows friends to play together regardless of level disparity.

What is Exemplaring?

Exemplaring is the inverse of Sidekicking. It allows a lower-level player to temporarily increase their effective level to match that of a higher-level player. This is particularly useful when a lower-level player wants to join a team tackling content that would normally be too difficult for them.

How to Exemplar:

Target the Higher-Level Player: Click on the character you wish to Exemplar to.
Open the Context Menu: Right-click on their character portrait or their character in the game world.
Select "Exemplar To": From the context menu, choose the option "Exemplar To [Player Name]".
Confirm the Action: A confirmation window will appear. Click "Yes" to initiate Exemplaring.

When you Exemplar, your effective level will be raised to within one level of your target. For example, if you are a Level 10 hero and Exemplar to a Level 50 hero, your effective level will become Level 49. Your health, endurance, and power damage will be scaled up. However, you will not gain access to powers you haven't learned yet, nor will you be able to equip enhancements beyond your actual level.

Benefits of Exemplaring:

Access to Challenging Content: Lower-level You can participate in higher-level missions, Task Forces, and even Incarnate Trials (though their actual level may limit some Incarnate abilities).
Exposure to Advanced Strategies: Exemplaring allows players to learn from experienced teammates and observe advanced combat tactics.
Social Integration: It enables lower-level players to join their high-level friends in activities they would otherwise be excluded from.
Faster Mission Completion: While not gaining as much experience as a Sidekicked player, Exemplaring allows for quicker completion of higher-level content, potentially leading to better rewards.

Important Considerations for Both Mechanics:

Experience Gain:
- Sidekicking: The lower-level player gains full experience for their actual level. The Sidekicked high-level player gains reduced experience, often significantly less than if they were soloing content appropriate for their actual level.
- Exemplaring: The Exemplared lower-level player gains experience appropriate for their actual level, not their Exemplared level. This means while they can participate in high-level content, their leveling speed will be slower than if they were doing content appropriate for their actual level.
Enhancements:
- Sidekicking: Your enhancements are still active, but their effectiveness is capped at your scaled level. For example, a Level 50 +5 Damage Enhancement will only provide the benefit of a Level 11 +5 Damage Enhancement if Sidekicked to Level 10.
- Exemplaring: You can only benefit from enhancements that are appropriate for your actual level. Even if Exemplared to Level 49, you cannot equip a Level 40 enhancement if your actual level is 10. Existing enhancements will scale up to their maximum effectiveness for your actual level.
Power Access:
- Sidekicking: You retain access to all your learned powers, but their effectiveness is scaled down.
- Exemplaring: You only have access to powers you have learned at your actual level. You do not gain access to higher-level powers.
Leaving a Team: If you leave a team while Sidekicked or Exemplared, your level will revert to your actual level.
Reverting Level: To revert your level to your actual level while still on a team, you must either leave the team or have the person you are Sidekicking/Exemplaring to leave the team. There is no "unsidkick" or "unexemplar" option.

Strategic Uses and Best Practices:

Understanding when and how to use Sidekicking and Exemplaring can greatly enhance your gameplay experience.

For High-Level Players (Sidekicking):

Power Leveling Friends: Take a lower-level friend to popular farming spots like the "Dark Astoria" zone (for Level 45-50 content, Sidekicking down to Level 44) or specific Mayhem Missions in Bloody Bay or Rikti War Zone. Ensure the content is still challenging enough for the lower-level player to gain good experience.
Mission Guidance: Guide new players through their early story arcs, such as the Hero/Villain Tutorial, Atlas Park, or Mercy Island missions. This helps them understand the game without feeling overwhelmed.
Showcasing Builds: Demonstrate the effectiveness of your high-level build, even when scaled down, to inspire new players.

For Low-Level Players (Exemplaring):

Joining High-Level Task Forces/Strike Forces: Get a taste of end-game content like the Lord Recluse Strike Force or the Lady Grey Task Force. While your experience gain will be limited, you'll earn valuable influence and potentially rare drops.
Participating in Events: Join higher-level events like Giant Monster hunts or Rikti Invasion events, even if you can't contribute fully.
Exploring New Zones: Exemplar to a higher-level friend to safely explore dangerous zones like Grandville or Rikti War Zone without being instantly defeated.

By effectively utilizing Sidekicking and Exemplaring, City of Heroes You can forge stronger bonds, explore more content, and enjoy a truly cooperative superhero experience.